Certain Types of Days
by Destiny's Own
Summary: Some days are harder than others. The types of days when you realize things aren’t going to work out with your boyfriend after being shot at are maybe hardest of all. But Stephanie’s lucky, because she has Ranger to help her through the worst of things.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: I own nothing. This is a little story which will probably be continued if people seem to like it, but which I think can stand on it's own as a scene from Stephanie's life. Please review if you read my story- I love to hear what people think, even if it's criticism (of a constructive sort)!**_

It was had been one of those days where people shoot at you. Those are my absolute least favorite days, so by the time I got home I was ready for a long shower, take-out food, and a Ranger's game. But unfortunately, days where people shoot at you tend to progress into nights of people yelling at you. Either they're angry because you're putting yourself in danger and won't apply to work at the button factory, like my mother and Morelli, or they're angry about the possible legal consequences that come with an employee breaking a fugitive's head with her purse, like my cousin Vinnie. Even my Grandma Mazur, who only wanted details to gossip about at her salon appointment tomorrow, was so exited that she was practically yelling into the phone. So by the time I was finally done fielding calls it was past midnight, and I stumbled into the shower half-blind with exhaustion.

I was tired of being chastised for doing my job. Of course, I'm a pretty bad bounty hunter, so I understand that occasionally a rebuke for ineptitude might be unavoidable. But the calls hadn't been about how I should do my job better- they had been about how I shouldn't do my job at all. And that was irritating. Because even though currently my least favorite days are the ones when I get shot at, I'm pretty sure that's only because I've never worked a day at a button factory. Better to have someone else shooting at you than to shoot yourself.

I think Morelli's almost worse than my mother now. He's been dropping more hints than ever about me quitting. Morelli doesn't really do passive, but he does aggressive just fine, and the hints have progressed to almost-ultimatums. Quit your job so we can give us a chance. Quit your job so the day won't come when I have to arrest you. Quit your job, quit your job.

The thing is, Morelli's a good guy. He takes care of me when I get shot or concussed or tasered, and he helps me find the people who blow up my cars. He wants me to be safe because he loves me, which is mostly why he hates me taking on FTAs with my inexpert skills, pepper spray, and a (usually unloaded) gun. The rest of his problem with my job can be attributed to his being Italian, which isn't really his fault.

I love Morelli too, of course. With a history that progresses back to me being six years old, there's really too much invested in our relationship to just end it flat out. We might take almost periodic breaks when our commitment issues and other problems boil too close to surface, but they never have a permanent feel to them. They're just us giving each other some temporary space. Lately, though, that space seems insufficient. Morelli and I have been playing the same game and having the same conversations for too many months. We need a change, and I think it's coming. I just sort of doubt we'll still be together when the dust settles. And even if that's for the best, it's still sort of depressing- we've been together for a while, and there's all sorts of bonds. But after all, even Barbie broke up with Ken when she needed to change her life. And where Barbie leads I, Stephanie Plum, daughter of the Burg, will not be afraid to follow.

I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, feeling slightly more human but still pretty shaky as I got dressed in a pair of biker shorts and a t-shirt. No matter how many times people try to kill you each new attempt is still a shock to the system. I guess this is pretty lucky, because without the adrenalin rush I get in those situations I figure I would probably be dead. But when the day's over and you've put the bad guy behind bars, the energy that kept you alive sort of disappears and you're left with shaky hands and nausea– and maybe a disinclination to be in the dark.

Being already on the edge, it's not surprising that I almost jumped out of my skin when I walked into my living room and saw Ranger sitting on the couch watching basketball on my tv. In fact, I sort of screamed when he turned, although the scream faded in my throat almost immediately. It was good that Ranger was here- it meant I didn't have to check my closets or under my bed for felons or monsters. Ranger didn't tolerate such things in private living spaces.

The lack of monsters didn't mean the situation wasn't dangerous. Ranger is without a doubt the most dangerous man I've ever encountered. I figure I know more about him than anyone in the world outside of his own family, but that's not saying much. He used to be special forces, has muscles like Rambo, and has a lot of questionable connections and expensive black cars. He also has a 12 year old daughter in Florida and a commendable habit of saving my life. He's a man of mystery, but he also happens to be my best friend. He's the person I call when I need help, the person I trust most. Of course, I've never told him he's my best friend- it's not the sort of things you tell bad ass bounty hunters to whom you have an intense attraction. But I think he knows anyway.

Right now he was looking at me silently, waiting to see if I wanted the first word. He has a way of being absolutely still that I find unnerving even when I'm not feeling edgy. So I just pulled my wet hair back into a pony tail and smiled as well as I could. "Hey Ranger. Come to check on the damages?"

He almost-smiled, and moved over on the couch to make room. When I sank down he threw a casual arm around me. Part of Ranger's danger is that he smells better than anyone else on the planet. No joke.

"Just wanted to make sure you would be up to a run tomorrow, babe. I hear that scrawny thug almost lost you today. You know rumors like that hurt our credibility as bad ass bounty hunters. It makes everything harder when the felons aren't scared of you."

Whatever. The only thing that would hurt Ranger's danger credibility would be his demise. And even then the criminals would want to see the body before they let their guard down. In fact, even after seeing the body they would probably still be cautious in case the entire thing was some sort of setup. Ranger wore invincibility the way other men wore cologne.

"Gee" I said, in my best wish-I-could-but-can't voice, "that's really a tempting offer, but I have a very important meeting tomorrow. Scheduled for weeks- it would be unforgivably rude to cancel at such late notice." And anyway, this was true. I have a standing date on Saturday mornings- first with my pillow and snooze button, and then later with Stan, the freckle-faced high school kid who runs the bakery counter during the weekend. This schedule may keep me five pounds above my ideal weight but it also saves me the expense of therapy. Without the comfort of jelly donuts I would certainly require professional help.

Ranger, who I suspect keeps rather closer watch on me then it would initially appear, wasn't buying my excuse. "The bakery's open until six" he said pleasantly "and I'm sure they'll hold back a couple of donuts for you. We'll run at seven- that way you can sleep in." What constitutes sleeping in is one of those area's where Ranger and I disagree intensely.

But he was right- I should be in better shape. The thing about Ranger is that he never tries to keep me from the job- hell, sometimes he takes me along to ride shotgun on his pickups. But he's always trying to make me better at what I do– he tries to get me in shape, he makes me put bullets in my gun and shares all his helpful tips about breaking and entering. And for the times when all that fails and he needs to come riding to the rescue, he keeps a tracking device on my car. Ranger's a busy man, and his ambition concerning me has nothing to do with keeping me completely out of trouble (an impossible task, as life proves to me every day) but everything to do with keeping me alive. Ranger, despite having even worse commitment issues than my own, loves me. I love him too, but it's not something we really talk about. There are too many complications, like the job and his mysteries and the fact that I'm usually dating Morelli.

We watched the tv quietly for a little while, with me dozing against his shoulder. The ESPN classic game ended and he unceremoniously picked me up and carried me into my bedroom, tucked me in carefully and set my alarm, all of which I was dimly aware of through the haze of sleep clouding my mind. He bent down and kissed my forehead, saying in his quiet voice that he would see me in the morning. And I went to sleep, feeling more secure than would have seemed possible a half hour earlier.


	2. Chapter 2

_A.N. Thanks so much to those who left reviews!! You guys are the only reason I'm writing this chapter- feedback is motivating :) I know this is a really short chapter- I'll try to do better after Christmas when I'm back to having time. _

My alarm went off at 6:30 the next morning, and I started swearing long before I was actually awake. In fact, I was pretty impressed with the inventiveness of my vocabulary once I woke up enough to hear what I was saying. When you grow up in Jersey you learn to appreciate strong words, since without them noone would listen to you.

I stumbled into the kitchen to start the coffee, and blissfully allowed myself one cup. I also had a smores poptart, figuring that the running would cancel out the calories. I then wandered into the bathroom. There was no point in showering, since I would be a hyperventilating mess in an hour anyway, but I brushed my teeth and tried to wrestle my hair into a ponytail. I dressed in sweats in the bedroom, and walked back out into the living room to find Ranger leaning against the wall, looking awake and calm. His serenity was annoying, but to be expected.

He smiled his half-smile at my appearance, but wisely refrained from comment. "I'm impressed", he said. "You actually got yourself out of bed. Is there a full moon tonight?"

Burg legend states that the day before and the night of a full moon is when the crazies come out and bizarre things happen. I figure that this must come from our Italian heritage, because there's no way it actually originated in the Burg. Jersey residents know that every day is bizarre, and every night is filled with crazies.

"Very funny" I retorted cleverly, using all the wit at my disposal so early in the morning. Which is to say no wit. I don't know why people bother talking before noon. If it's important, it's best said when people can actually concentrate, and if it's not important then why bother? Seriously, I should have majored in philosophy in college. Maybe I would have even managed a B once in a while.

Ranger and I went out into the parking lot and did a few stretches. I looked longingly at the sleek black Porsche parked in the corner of the lot. I knew from experience that it would be comfortable and warm, and that it would easily provide access to the bakery four blocks away. But Ranger wasn't going to give, so I resigned myself to looking foolish and collapsing on the dirty pavement. I had been through this drill before.

We ran for a while, Ranger controlled and silent, me gasping desperately for air. When we got to the park Ranger took off around the track, while I looked for an inconspicuous place to collapse. Finding a comfortable looking patch of grass I threw myself down and waited for Ranger to finish his laps. He was welcome to take as long as he liked- I would just close my eyes and rest for a minute. It had been a little chilly this morning for May, but laying in the sun was comfortable and warm.

A little while later- I think it was only a little while- I opened my eyes to see Ranger leaning against a tree, talking on his cell phone. Ranger can go from street tough to military to corporate in as long as it takes to change his clothes and posture. Right now he was definitely corporate- even in black sweats it was easy to tell by his cool, professional tone. Sometimes I remember the Ranger I met when I first started the job, who spoke the language of the streets and appeared to wander in from the ghetto occasionally to pursue justice in the name of fun and money. That Ranger was mysterious, but nowhere near as confusing as the man who stood before me now.

Seeing I was awake Ranger dismissed whoever was on the phone and sat down next to me on the grass. "I can't believe you didn't wake me up and drag me back to my feet" I said incredulously. "What kind of enforcer are you?"

"I figured you had actually had a tough enough day yesterday to warrant a little extra rest" Ranger said tolerantly. "But I wouldn't get used to it- you won't get off so easy next time." He was quiet a moment before speaking again. "So I hear you and Morelli broke it off yesterday- in a permanent sort of way."

I felt tears swim unbidden into my eyes. No matter how clearly you saw them coming, breakups from long-term relationships are sad and stressful. Ranger glanced down at me enigmatically. "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice soft, his hand settling comfortingly on the back of my neck.

I nodded uncertainly, and smiled as well as I could. "It really is for the best" I said unevenly. "We weren't going to make it- better to severe ties now. But even so..."

"It still hurts."

"Yeah. It still hurts."

Ranger never gives much away in facial expression, but he spoke like he understood, reminding me that he had been married once, however briefly. He put his arms around me and hauled me easily into his lap. And we sat there for a while, not speaking- it was a nice morning to be outside, if such a thing exists. By the time we stood to jog home I was feeling energized enough to try a steady jog, an energy which persisted for almost a quarter of a mile.


	3. Chapter 3

_A.N. Once again, thanks so much to those who reviewed. I really appreciate your comments :) So, concerning the story, I'm going to do the absolute best I can. Ranger's a difficult character to get a grasp on, but he sure is fun. Just a reminder, this story is rated T, so the language and situations aren't for kids. And I still own nothing, to my sorrow._

It was midmorning when we arrived back at my apartment, and I wasn't feeling really motivated to start my day. It promised to be a long one, full of questions and recriminations from my friends and family, Joe's friends and family, and every other person living in the Burg. I didn't have enough energy for all that. Better to go back to sleep.

I said goodbye to Ranger in the parking lot. He smiled, kissed me lightly on the lips, and was gone. I took the elevator up to my apartment, too wiped out for the stairs. I let myself in, threw my keys on the table, and bravely sat down to listen to my voicemail.

Three messages from my mother, telling me that I could probably still make things right with Joe if I hurried. A message from my Grandma Mazur telling me how the girls at the beauty shop couldn't believe I had broken up with such a great looking man, but that she figured I was probably right because, like her, I was too young to be settling down. A message from Mary Lou offering to find a sitter for her kids and come commiserate with chocolate. A message form Joe's Grandma Bella, threatening to curse me so all my hair fell out for breaking her grandson's heart. A message from my sister Valerie, kids screaming in the background, telling me that she liked Joe but that I was much better off not getting married or having kids because it was absolute hell and she wanted to drive off a bridge. And another message from my mother, telling me to come to dinner.

I erased everything except the message from Grandma Bella. I figured I might need it as evidence if all my hair started falling out. In some cities threats of old-lady voodoo may not carry much weight, but all of Trenton knows that Bella has the eye.

I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do with the rest of the day, but going back to bed seemed a little defeatist and I really needed a shower. By the time I was done drying my hair I even felt like I could handle a mascara brush, so I gave it a try. The results weren't spectacular, but I figured I wouldn't scare any children with my appearance.

I headed down to bonds office, and had the first of many conversations about my breakup. Connie and Lula were loud and curious, but quick to point out that this meant I could be with Ranger. Connie and Lula, being women, are fascinated by Ranger.

The rest of the day blurred by. There were too many conversations, too many questions. And beneath the annoyance I was feeling for the world in general, I was feeling sad and tired. Not just about Joe, but about a lot of things. I was tired of always facing gruesome death, sad about the lack of direction in my life, and frustrated by Ranger. Ranger was a great friend, and possibly the most attractive man on the planet, but I was sort of losing patience with his secrets. A certain air of mystery is understandable, what with him being a superhero and all, but Ranger took secret-keeping to extremes. His private life was inaccessible, and I'm like the stupid cat who got killed for curiosity. I just can't help it- growing up in the Burg, the need to know everything about everyone was ingrained in my psyche.

I spent Sunday productively, if mindlessly. I did my laundry, watched television, and made hot chocolate in the microwave. Finally, bored out of my wits, I called Connie to see if any new FTAs had come in, but the slate was blank. I called Ranger, but I got his voicemail and since I didn't have anything in particular to say I didn't bother with his pager. I ended up going to bed early, and I slept like the dead. Doing nothing can really wipe you out.

My phone rang at six the next morning. I groped blindly for my cell, finding it by sheer luck.

"Yo", Ranger said conversationally.

Men are so stupid. Seriously, who doesn't know that women are not to awoken at six in the morning unless it's about life, death, or diamonds?

Except it turned out that it was kind of life or death. Unfortunately.

"So", Ranger continued calmly 'I'm hearing a few disturbing things off the street. It's looking as though Ralph Emerton has a few friends who aren't too happy about you picking him up on Friday. As a matter of fact, they're so unhappy that they're talking retribution. I hate to risk an overreaction, Babe, but your track record isn't encouraging. I'll pick you up in an hour- you can ride with me today."

Shit. If this was the beginning of another one of those episodes in my life where evil, crazy people tried to kill me I was going to be really pissed off. I decided I was officially done being a wimp, a resolution none the less sincere for having made it at least once a month since I became a bounty hunter. I told Ranger I would be ready, employing a few choice words to express my opinion of the hours he kept and at the condition of the human race in general. I went through my basic morning routine, dressed entirely in badass black from my CAT boots to my SEALS hat, and retrieved my gun from the cookie jar. To my surprise it was even loaded. I guess Ranger must have been playing bullet tooth fairy again- put your .32 in the cookie jar and a mysterious figure will arrive in the middle of the night to load your weapon so you can kill criminals before they kill you.

Okay, so the analogy could use a little work, and was actually kind of creepy, but you get what I mean.

I met Ranger down in the parking lot and climbed into the giant bug-eyed truck he had chosen to drive. He watched me as I climbed in, taking in my outfit. "I never know what statement you're trying to make when you dress like that" he said easily.

I looked over at him, not feeling playful. "Right now, I'm hoping the statement is 'Don't shoot at me, because I could kick you ass'. But I would settle for 'black is not a sniper friendly color as it provides no clear target'".

Ranger nodded sagely. "Fair enough".

"So where are we headed?" With Ranger you never knew what was on the day's agenda. I suspect that sometimes Ranger's agenda comes straight from the State Department. But since I was along for the ride today probably wasn't one of those days.

"I have a high ticket bond to apprehend north of the city- a vehicular homicide charge. If we get him in by lunchtime we can go get a pizza- I'll even find you a place without bloodstains on the table, since those always make you so edgy."

We were about to pull out of the lot when a call came in on Ranger's cell. He checked the caller ID and then answered with a succinct "yo". He talked in fragments for a minute, then disconnected.

I looked at him expectantly. He glanced at me and I made a brief, pathetic attempt to appear disinterested before I caved and asked who was on the phone.

Ranger was silent for a moment before answering. "It was Tank" he finally said. "He was calling to let me know he couldn't be on assignment this morning on account of how Lula and he experimented a little last night and now he's at the hospital. But the doctors are pretty sure his back isn't broken."

I was sorry that Tank was in the hospital, but I was glad that for once I hadn't been the one to put him there. Ranger's associates tended to drop like flies when they're assigned to protect me.

"So what was Tank supposed to be doing today?" I asked conversationally. "Do we need to pick up some of the slack?"

Ranger glanced at the cool, space-age digital watch he wore on his left wrist. "Actually, we do." He didn't sound entirely pleased. He put the truck in gear and pulled out of the lot.

"So what's the new plan?" I was willing to give up the pursuit of a vehicular homicide so long as it wasn't going to be replaced with something worse.

Ranger kept his eyes on the road, and his voice held no inflection. "We're going to my old neighborhood. I need to pick my nephews up for school."


	4. Chapter 4

_A.N. So, I hate to start out all my notes the same way, but thanks to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate the encouragement. Every review is an incentive to write another chapter- quickly, if possible. I'm sure I'll at some point contradict something in the novels, but I figure the plot is mine even though nothing else is. Nothing!_

I didn't know exactly what to say to Ranger's announcement. I could count on my fingers the things I knew about Ranger's family, and it was all very general. I had a vague idea of where his parents and grandmother lived and was aware that he came from a big family- a brother and four sisters. I had met his daughter the year before when she had been kidnaped by an insane Ranger-fanatic, but the less-than-ideal circumstances had kept me from getting to know her very well. I wasn't surprised to learn that he had nephews, but it wasn't something he had ever mentioned.

I settled on a question and turned in my seat. "One of you sisters' kids?" This seemed like a fairly neutral choice, and had a high likelihood of being correct.

Ranger nodded. "My sister Crista. I've tried to get her to move out of the neighborhood- my other siblings have- but our parents refuse to move, and she wants to be near them. I've let it go because the neighborhood is actually pretty safe, but you have to go through some bad areas to get to the school. I normally have Tank pick up the boys in the morning, just as a precaution."

Ranger stopped talking, but since this was actually considerably more than I had expected him to tell me I let it go for the moment. We rode for about fifteen minutes in silence, leaving behind the industrial suburbs and entering the shadier side of Trenton. The neighborhood Ranger had grown up in wasn't a slum- in fact, he had once told me it was the Cuban equivalent of the Burg. That might be true, but I thought the place was sort of depressing- rundown, with the look neighborhoods get when they're constantly struggling to hold the line of decency.

We pulled to a stop in front of a rather nicely maintained townhouse. I looked up at the door and saw two boys, maybe eight and ten, standing watch. When they spotted the truck they turned to yell something- probably a goodbye to their mother- and ran outside. They got maybe six feet, spotted me in the passenger seat, and turned on their heels to run back into the house.

Ranger cut his eyes to me. "I think you're about to meet my sister, Babe. I would ask you to forgive her curiosity, but you might not even notice it's excessive. Is excessive curiosity a phrase in your vocabulary?"

In fact, the phrase _was_ in my vocabulary. I could even recognize it. For example, at the moment I was feeling a great deal of excessive curiosity about Ranger's sister and her children. Ranger has always been very clear about not meaning to start a family of his own, so I really wanted to know what his relationship was with the family he hadn't had a choice with.

The boys ran back outside, followed a second later by a pretty, slim woman of medium height with a little girl on her hip. Both mother and daughter had beautiful dark curls and big dark eyes. Crista was a little older than me, maybe mid-thirties. Her daughter was only a toddler.

She walked up to the driver's side window and Ranger reluctantly rolled it down. She smiled pleasantly at me and then turned to her brother, eyes gleaming.

"The boys told me you had a girl with you. I had to see it for myself."

Ranger did something with his eyes that was suspiciously close to rolling them. He looked in the rearview mirror at his nephews, who grinned back unrepentantly. He said something in Spanish that made them laugh, then turned back to their mother. "Crista, this is Stephanie. Stephanie, my sister Crista."

Crista's smile turned from curious to warm immediately, and she walked over to my side of the car. "Are you really?" Her voice was amused, almost affectionately so. "Ranger's tells us about you, of course, but we had sort of given up hope of convincing him to bring you to visit." Suddenly her smile grew even wider. "Are you two dating now?"

I was surprised by the revelation that Ranger had told his family about me, so I just addressed her question. "No, we're not dating. I'm having a bit of trouble at the moment, so we're sticking together today in the hope it doesn't get worse."

Crista's grin stayed in place. "I hear trouble has a way of finding you."

Normally a statement like this from a stranger would annoy me, but Crista said it as though we were sharing a joke, which made it easy to smile back. "Only on days that end in 'y'".

Crista gestured towards the backseat. "The ruffians are my sons, Marc and Carl." I turned around in my seat to see the boys wave a little at their names- Marc was the older of the two. They were both dark, though their skin was lighter than Ranger's, and they wore similar expressions of mischievous enjoyment. Crista nudged the little girl dozing on her shoulder. "And this imp is Anna. Anna, this is Uncle Carlos' friend Stephanie."

Anna face lit up, sleep fading. She clapped her hands and held out her arms to me through the window. When I instinctively reached back Crista passed her over to me. Anna sat happily in my lap, babbling in the way happy, outgoing children do. I had no idea what she was saying. She pulled a matchbox car out of the pocket of her overalls and ran it up and down my arm. "BOOM!!" she yelled, throwing the car into the air.

Ranger had been watching his sister and me in silence, and was obviously not prepared to be attacked by a flying toy. It caught him on the ear. Most people would wet their pants if they realized they had clocked Ranger in the head, but the two year old in my lap just laughed gleefully. "Stephnie's car go BOOM!!"

Ranger still wasn't showing much expression, but his eyes were smiling. His niece looked at him speculatively, then crawled out of my lap and into his. She looked up at him imploringly, and said very clearly "I come too."

Ranger smiled at Anna, but lifted her gently out of his lap. "Not today, sweetheart." Crista walked back over to the driver's side and Ranger handed his niece back to his sister. "We had better get going if the boys aren't going to be late."

Crista nodded, and kissed Ranger on the cheek. She beamed at me. "Stephanie, I'm so glad to have met you. Ranger never brings anyone home- I hope he'll make an exception. But if you're ever around you should come visit- there's no reason that Carlo's surliness should mean we can't be friends. I'm always around during the day."

I smiled back. "I'll try to come by." I didn't know if I meant it- it would depend on how Ranger felt about me spending time with his family. I didn't want to intrude on his life if he didn't want me there.

Ranger pulled away from the curb, Crista and Anna waving to the retreating truck I turned to Ranger and smiled. "I like your sister."

He nodded. "Everyone does." He paused for a second. "But I'm not surly."

I laughed and turned in my seat to see Marc and Carl speaking softly in rapid Spanish. I smiled in what I hoped was an engaging way and held my hand out to them. "I'm glad to meet you" I said in my most friendly voice.

The boys shook my hand solemnly. Marc nodded knowingly. "You're Stephanie Plum."

I nodded back. "Yes, I am."

"Uncle Carlos tells us about you, like how you burn stuff down and how your family is as crazy as ours. Did you really smash a Porsche by having a truck fall on it?"

I was a little alarmed that this was the sort of information Ranger saw it fit to disclose, but I agreed that this was indeed true.

Marc's eyes lit up. "That's pretty cool" he said happily. "I bet it was real exiting. Maybe I could come with you sometime and be a bounty hunter. Uncle Carlos won't ever take me with him- he say's I should get good grades and be a doctor. But I think I would rather be a bounty hunter."

I nodded understandingly. "Well, you have lots of years to decide. But it's always a good idea to get good grades, so you have lots of options when you grow up." I knew this firsthand. My grades had been _awful_. I was a bounty hunter because I had no options.

Marc seemed to consider this, before shaking his head in apparent agreement. "I guess that makes sense. I'm glad I studied for my science test today."

Carl was small for his age, and seemed to be shy. He took a deep breath as though gathering up his courage, shot a glance at Ranger, and blurted "Great-Grandma Rosa says Uncle Carlos should marry you and start having babies. She says he's getting too old to be always chasing bad guys and never living his life."

Marc smacked his brother on the side of his head, and I thought I saw Ranger's fingers tighten around the steering wheel. I couldn't imagine how I was possibly supposed to respond to this declaration. Silence seemed like the safest option.

Ranger pulled up in front of an elementary school and the boys tumbled out of the back. They took off towards the building, calling back cheerful goodbyes.

There was silence for a moment in the truck, and then I burst out laughing. "That's so cute" I gasped. "You have an interfering grandmother just like everyone else. She thinks you should be settled and making more great-grandchildren for her." I couldn't get my breath.

Ranger wasn't smiling, but he looked like he was thinking about being amused. "Babe, be careful about joking about Grandma Rosa. She's twice as tough as anyone else in the my family, and that includes me."

There was something else I wanted to talk about, but I wasn't sure how to broach the subject. I decided I might as well jump right into it.

"Your family seems to know a lot about me."

Ranger was scanning the roads, keeping an eye out for trouble. I wondered for a moment whether he would even respond. When he did his voice was soft.

"Babe, my family's like anyone else's. They want to know things about my life. But most of my life involves things I don't want to burden my family with. You're an exception- I can tell them about your adventures, and it makes them feel involved. They're all fond of you."

I thought about this for a second. It was sweet, really, that I was the thing in Ranger's life that he felt was happy enough to tell his parent's about. I wasn't sure how crazy I was about the nature of the information being revealed, but I was used to people laughing at my exploits. I made the paper every few months, often the front page, and it was always for something outrageous.

I thought that the conversation could be left alone for now- probably later I would have more questions, which Ranger might or might not answer. For now I spoke lightly.

"We had better get going if we're going to catch that FTA. And don't forget that you owe me a pizza for lunch."


End file.
